A new bipartisan package in the state House would require schools K-12 to carry the opioid-reversing medicine, Narcan, and for local health departments to train schools on how to administer the drug.
Opioid-related deaths in Michigan have increased from 118 to nearly 3,000 between the years 1991 to 2021.
A recent study by the National Library of Medicine revealed that Fentanyl was found in 70% of all overdose deaths in Michigan from 2018 to 2020.
Republican Representative Dave Prestin introduced the bills. He says they could mean life or death for students exposed to opioids.
“The biggest thing, is just like an AED for cardiac events, you know Narcan and K-12 schools with the fentanyl crisis exploding throughout the United States, it adds an extra layer of defense against an accidental, or purposeful ingestion that results in an overdose,” Prestin said.
Narcan is an opioid antagonist that can be administered through a nasal spray and can quickly restore normal breathing to a person if their breathing is slowed or stopped due to an opioid overdose.
The drug has no effect on a person without opioids in their system.
Prestin says that if passed, the bills could help protect those considered most vulnerable to an opioid-related complication.
“Really the genesis of the bill, it goes toward the population that is the most at risk with the most severe outcome and like I said, that is your K through five-year-old who hasn't had an exposure. They don’t even realize what they’re putting in their mouth or what they’re ingesting. And there is no way to bring them back without Narcan in the schools,” he said.
The bills have been referred to the house education committee for further consideration.
